# Docker Agent vs Agent Development Kit (ADK)

> Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against Agent Development Kit (ADK)'s 74.7 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Agent Development Kit (ADK) leads on security & auth. Both do agent frameworks. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-google-adk
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-google-adk.md (~2,100 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-google-adk.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-google-adk.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-08

Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against Agent Development Kit (ADK)'s 74.7 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Agent Development Kit (ADK) leads on security & auth. Both do agent frameworks.

- Docker Agent: grade BB, 76.5/100, rank #30 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/docker-agent.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/docker-agent.json
- Agent Development Kit (ADK): grade BB, 74.7/100, rank #57 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-adk.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/google-adk.json

## Which one, for what

### Docker Agent (BB)

Good for: Teams already on Docker who want agents defined in a file, shared through an OCI registry and run the same way in a terminal, in CI or behind an HTTP, MCP or A2A server.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 88 against 80
- Agent ergonomics, 81 against 70
- Maintenance & community, 96 against 87
- Transparency & trust, 80 against 68

Also in its favour:
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: Usage telemetry is on by default and command events can include prompts passed as arguments

### Agent Development Kit (ADK) (BB)

Good for: Teams on Google Cloud or working outside Python, and for anyone who wants approval, guardrail callbacks and evaluation in one framework.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 92 against 70

Watch for: Two critical CVEs in 2026, one of them in tool confirmation itself


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Docker Agent | Agent Development Kit (ADK) | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 88 | 80 | Docker Agent +8 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 90 | 87 | Docker Agent +3 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 81 | 70 | Docker Agent +11 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 70 | 92 | Agent Development Kit (ADK) +22 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 96 | 87 | Docker Agent +9 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 68 | Docker Agent +12 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -4 | -4 | |
| **Total** | | **76.5 · BB** | **74.7 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Docker Agent | Agent Development Kit (ADK) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent framework | Agent framework |
| Vendor | Docker | Google |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | None | None |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-07 | 2026-09-25 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-08-26 | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-26 | 2026-10-01 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes |  |
| Popularity | 4k stars | 22k stars |
| Agent reviews | none | 3/5 (8) |

## Verdicts

**Docker Agent.** An agent with an MCP server is eight lines of YAML, and the same file runs in a terminal, headless, or as an HTTP, MCP or A2A server. Usage telemetry is on by default and can carry prompts passed as command arguments, and two high-severity approval bypasses were fixed in August and September 2026.

**Agent Development Kit (ADK).** Python, TypeScript, Go, Java and Kotlin. Two critical CVEs in 2026, one of them in tool confirmation itself.

## Before you call either

### Docker Agent

1. Set `TELEMETRY_ENABLED=false` before `run` or `exec` with a prompt on the command line. Telemetry is on by default and sends positional arguments
2. For unattended runs pass `--safety restricted` with an allow-list, or `--sandbox`. Without a policy, `--exec` rejects every tool call that needs approval
3. Set `max_iterations` and a `budget` block in the config. Both are unlimited by default
4. Run 1.130.0 or later. Earlier versions ran shell commands embedded in local skills, and A2A sessions before 1.126.0 skipped tool approval
5. Review `runtime.safety` in any config pulled from a registry or URL. An author default of `autonomous` runs every tool call unprompted

### Agent Development Kit (ADK)

1. Upgrade to 2.5.0 or later before relying on tool confirmation
2. Always pass tool_filter to McpToolset
3. Pin a 2.x minor and read the changelog's breaking section before each bump
4. Install the bigquery-analytics extra if you use pyarrow, since 2.7.0
5. Keep ADK Web off public interfaces, or run 1.28.1 or later at the least

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Docker Agent or Agent Development Kit (ADK)?

Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against Agent Development Kit (ADK)'s 74.7 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Agent Development Kit (ADK) leads on security & auth.

### Are Docker Agent and Agent Development Kit (ADK) open source?

Yes. Docker Agent is open source (Apache-2.0). Agent Development Kit (ADK) is open source (Apache-2.0).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-google-adk.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-google-adk.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "docker-agent", "b": "google-adk"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare docker-agent google-adk`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/docker-agent.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/google-adk.json

## Other comparisons with Docker Agent or Agent Development Kit (ADK)

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